IWA Angel Gerry Thomson: It’s a family affair

Angels on the Incarnate Word Academy campus come in all shapes and sizes and from all backgrounds, but there is one Angel whose longevity is second only to the Incarnate Word Sisters. IWA Treasurer Gerry Thomson, referred to by most as Mrs. T, retired at the end of 2011 after more than 41 years of service at IWA.

This long-standing Angel is known for her meticulous bookkeeping, devotion to the Incarnate Word and Blessed Sacrament Sisters, her love of Bunco and her grandchildren. Hers is a story of legacy—both of family and of faith.

The legacy began with Thomson’s mother, Catherine Kelly Grant, who graduated from IWA in 1932. Each of the Kelly girls followed their mother’s example as IWA graduates—Gerry in 1952, Elizabeth in 1958 and Margaret Mary in 1962. IWA was an all-girls school during this time, therefore the Kelly brothers, Leroy and Larry, attended Corpus Christi College Academy and graduated in 1953 and 1965, respectively.

“From the very beginning Mama and Daddy were very committed to Catholic education for their children,” Thomson said. It was said by a priest friend that “the Kellys raised their family in the shadow of the Church.”

While the tuition they paid at that time seems low by today’s standards, $12 a month per child, it was still a stretch for the Kelly family. Catherine Kelly was a homemaker with a devotion to the Sacred Heart. Her husband Buck, who converted to Catholicism after the children were grown, was an ice cream truck driver. Thomson recalls, with a wide smile, her father telling the children, “We may not have a lot of money but we will never die on an empty stomach.”

A few years after graduation, Gerry Kelly met and married Jim Thomson in 1955. Their children, Theresa, Kathryn and Jimmy, continued the IWA legacy graduating in 1978, 1981 and 1982, respectively. While raising her family, Gerry Thomson volunteered her time as the IWA Alumni President— as her mother had done. She remembers with fondness the many ham dinners, pounding parties and rummage sales held to benefit the school.

“I enjoyed working with the Sisters and the many dedicated alumni members at the various fundraising activities,” she said.

In 1970, Thomson began her career as a secretary at IWA. The tools of the trade were a little different four decades ago.

“We did not have Facebook or the Internet let alone computers,” Thomson said. “We had a telephone and a typewriter, period. Eventually, we got calculators and an adding machine to calculate grades.”

Thomson remained as high school secretary until 1979. In 1980, she began to work in the finance office where she helped establish the Family Tuition Plan (FTP), a consolidated tuition system that streamlined the tuition payment process for parents with more than one child attending IWA.

She continued as the administrator of the FTP until 1988 when the IWA Central Office was created. This move facilitated coordination and consolidation of the communications, development, marketing and finances of the school. At that time Thomson became an integral part of the restructuring of the administrative offices and their roles. Before this time, management of all finances and administration were conducted independently on each level.

“Once the Central Office was established, I remained as the administrator of the Family Tuition Plan and just naturally started to take on more bookkeeping duties like payroll and paying bills,” she said. “Everything I learned was hands-on. Sister Mary Ann Korczynski taught me so much. She was the school treasurer and a high school math teacher. She taught me to check my work very carefully and how to balance to the penny.”

The mutual affinity between Thomson and the IWA community was never more apparent than when she experienced one of the most difficult times in her life. In 1994, her husband of 39 years died suddenly.

“I was devastated,” Thomson said, “I just could not function. I was so appreciative to Sister Anna Marie [Espinosa] and Sister Annette [Wagner]. They helped me and my family in planning the rosary service and funeral Mass for Jim. Then, coming back to work helped me to recover. I was so thankful for the kids, the families and the Sisters. I just love being with them. They are my extended family.“

Many changes have taken place on the IWA campus since Thomson began working for the school 41 years ago.

“What we had to do then to operate and what we can do now is truly astounding,” she said.

The changes include the coordination and consolidation of school administrative services, coeducation at the high school level, the establishment of the office of the president and a policy-making school board and capital expansion including the James R. Dougherty Jr. Center; the high school science and athletic wing and more recently the Kenedy Center for Math and Science.

“It’s amazing how far our school has come,” she said. “These have been welcomed additions to our campus and have helped to enhance our educational programs.”
As Thomson transitions into her next chapter and reflects on the legacy she leaves at IWA there is one lasting mark that will remain close to her heart and to her brothers and sisters; the Catherine “Tad” and Buck Kelly IWA Scholarship that was established in 2009 in her parents’ memory.

“When the talk of a scholarship came about, I truly wanted it to be for my mom and dad,” she said. “They are the ones who started it all. And I am very touched to see the scholarship given to students and families who truly need it and appreciate the assistance.”

The generational Kelly legacy continues today with the addition of grandchildren, who are also IWA graduates—Lauryn McCarty in 2005, Kyndra McCarty in 2009 and recent graduate Kylene McCarty in 2011. Currently Thomson’s nephew, Darren Dreyer, IWA High School baseball coach and faculty member, has one child attending IWA and two children who recently graduated. Thomson’s brother, Larry Kelly, has a grandson who attends the middle level.

The Kelly girls’ commitment to the IWA Alumni Association remains strong, and IWA community looks forward to seeing their bright smiles and hearty laughter at upcoming Incarnate Word Academy events, as no event would be complete without them.

True to form, the close bond of the IWA community with Mrs. T will continue. As a retirement gift, Mrs. T received a new home computer to keep her connected with IWA community. With that, she will be the founding member of the new Retired Angels Technology Academy—working with the school to help keep its alumni connected to the school through technology training provided on the IWA campus.

Spiritually, Thomson’s legacy will be that which her parents left her: a firm foundation in her Catholic faith; a devotion to helping others; and an abiding sense of permanence and community which she showed in her everyday ministry to others as IWA treasurer.

Mrs. T says she is looking forward to having the time to “keep track” of her grandchildren who are busy starting their lives as young adults.